It is well known that the braaibroodjie is the best addition to any braai. Then we also have the burger, which is the best complete meal to serve at a braai with friends. In this recipe I discovered this great gadget, a square meat press. And so the burger braaibroodjie was born.

Use your recently washed hands and divide the beef mince evenly into 6 heaps. Now use your square shaped burger press and shape the patties. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

Use a hinged grid and braai the patties over hot coals for 8 -10 minutes until nice and crispy on the outside and medium on the inside.Let the patties rest for a few mintues while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Spread the butter on the outsides of your bread. Now spread a layer of chutney, then your beef patty, topped with tomatoes, onions and cheese. Close the burger with the other slice of bread and remember, butter on the outside.

PLace the Burger Braaibroodjies carefully into your hinged grid and braai over very medium coals. You want the cheese to melt and the bread to toast. Turn the grid often to get the desired effect.

Remve the braaibroodjies from the grid, slice in half and serve immediately

During the collection of recipes for the book Shisanyama, I received a number of versions of baked and braaied potatoes with cheese. This is my version, drawing inspiration from various solutions to the same problem, which is how to do some nice potatoes and cheese on the braai. To my mind, it’s always easier to get potatoes soft with a bit of boiling in a potjie, as opposed to trying to bake them soft from scratch. By using your cast-iron potjie, you limit dishes and impart maximum flavour.

Wash the potatoes, add them to your potjie and boil in water until soft.

Now drain the water from the potjie but keep the soft-boiled potatoes in the potjie. Add the olive oil, butter, chopped onion, bell pepper strips, garlic, salt and pepper to the potjie and now stir-fry everything for a few minutes until some things become caramelised and golden brown.

Now use your wooden spoon or braai tongs and press on some of the potatoes so they burst at the seams, allowing some extra flavours to develop and penetrate the potatoes. Stir-fry for another minute or three.

If things at the bottom of the potjie get sticky and want to burn, add a bit of water, olive oil, beer, wine or stock and scrape lose anything sticky.

You now add the grated cheese and sprinkle paprika on top of that. Close the lid of the potjie and take the potjie off the fire. Add a generous helping of coals onto the lid of the potjie – as much as you can fit onto the lid – and wait a few minutes for the cheese to start melting. Once the cheese has melted, your potatoes are good to go!

This is one of those “excuse me?” recipes. People will think you have made a mistake when you tell them you are serving chocolate risotto for dessert. But don’t be dissuaded by their disbelief, because serving this will make you stand out as a culinary genius – this recipe is a real showstopper. It’s simple, easy to make, and most importantly, absolutely decadently delicious.

Place all the ingredients for the risotto into your pot – you are basically making a soup with all the ingredients – and then add the risotto. Stir and mix everything together. The cocoa will drift a bit on top, but as soon as you add heat, everything will mix together.

Place the potjie on the fire and start cooking the risotto over very mild and medium heat. You do not have to stir all the time, but with ingredients like milk and cream, you need to stir more often than not.

Let this slowly cook and simmer, stirring more often than not, for 30-40 minutes. If you think you need a bit more liquid, add a bit of water. The risotto will become thick and creamy once cooked and ready.

While the risotto is still cooking, roast your coconut in a pan for a few minutes until golden brown. Now, grate the chocolate over the risotto, the same way you would do with parmesan cheese if this was a savoury recipe.

Dish up the risotto into your dedicated bowls or cups and sprinkle the roasted coconut over and serve with a cookie or biscuit of your choice.

In a world of uncertainty, there are always things you can be sure of. Bananas becoming too old to eat before you’ve got to them is one of those certainties. This might happen at home in your kitchen, but very often also happens in one of your food crates while touring or on holiday. When those brown spots of age appear on your bananas, this is your cue to make and bake a banana bread potjie – something absolutely fantastic.

1. Start off by peeling the bananas, cutting them into smaller pieces and mashing them with a fork.

2. In your no. 10 flat-bottomed potjie, mix the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well. This mixing can be done with a fork or a wooden spoon.

3. Now add the mashed bananas and lemon juice and mix well until you have a smooth batter.

4. Add the flour and baking soda and mix that in. Lastly add the milk and mix that through to form a smooth batter.

5. Put the lid on your potjie and bake the banana bread with the potjie on a stand on medium-hot coals, with some coals on top of the lid as well. It should take about 50 minutes until cooked and golden brown but if the heat is too high, it might be quicker, so check after 30 minutes so it does not burn.

This recipe is a nice party trick to serve with your steak at the next braai. Instead of the usual pepper or cheese sauce, use the rich taste of marrow to compliment your steak.WHAT YOU NEED: (Feeds 4)

4 marrow bones, cut lengthways

Salt

Pepper

For the sauce:

1 Onion, chopped finely

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup beef stock

2 tots dijon mustard

1 tot sherry or sweet dessert wine

1/2 cup white wine

Salt and pepper to tasteWHAT TO DO:

Light a big fire and start prepping your marrow bones. Braai the marrow bones with the flesh side down for 3 – 4 minutes. Turn the marrow bones around and braai with the flesh side upwards. Season with salt and pepper and braai until the marrow starts to bubble and cook.

Remove from the braai and scrape braaied marrow from the bones into your pan.

Heat your pan and fry onion&garlic until soft with the marrow.

Season with salt and pepper and add the dijon mustard and muscadel or sherry. Let this simmer for a few minutes.

Add 1/2 cup white wine and 1/2 cup beef stock and let this sauce simmer and reduce until nice and thick and rich, while you braai your steak.

Slice your steak into strips and serve the steak dressed with the sauce.